Birds Of Prey
by WitchGirl
Summary: *Sigh.* Finally finished the story. The last chapter has been posted, R & R. Dave gets Carter into more than a little trouble when he asks Carter to substitute at a local junior high.
1. Ye Old Nameless one

Birds of Prey  
  
Summary: Dave gets Carter into more than a little trouble when he asks Carter to substitute at a local junior high.  
  
Disclaimer: All the regular characters belong to the big guys that are high, high above me, but me myself, no, I don't own 'em.  
  
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"God, are you seeing this?" Abby asked, turning to Luka who was still staring at the screen.  
  
"Interesting..." he said.  
  
"What are we watching to- Oh my God... uh oh... Uh, gotta go!" Dave said when he saw the screen.  
  
"Dave? What are you running away from?" Abby tore her eyes from the TV and looked at him.  
  
"You mean Carter didn't tell you?" Dave asked, partly surprised, "That's strange..."  
  
"Didn't tell us what?" Abby asked.  
  
"Uh, nothing! B'bye! I have a patient who swallowed a knife in curtain four-"  
  
"Dave..."  
  
"Sorry, Abby, can't hear you!" Dave said, jogging away.  
  
"Luka, do you know anyone who came in here with a knife down their throat?" Abby asked, looking the board up and down.  
  
"Huh?" Luka looked away from the TV at Abby. He hadn't been paying attention to anything but what was going on on the news.  
  
"Do you know anyone who swallowed a knife that came in here?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, last week, but Dave fixed it and discharged him... Why?"  
  
"I have to talk to Dave..." Abby said.  
  
"Uh huh..." Luka said, absentmindedly. He was engulfed by the story. It intrigued him.  
  
"...They have made no demands so far, but the police are trying to get in contact with the hostage takers. The terrorists have taken over the whole third floor of the school, which includes at least twenty-five students, and three teachers. Oh! This just in! One of the teachers, it seems, is playing spy for the police. He has gotten in touch with the police somehow without the terrorists knowing. Oh! Is that him up by the window?" the camera turned to a window on the top floor of the building. By the window, a brown-haired man had his back to the camera, but was making signals with his hands behind his back. Luka squinted. The man seemed to be wearing suspenders, but it was unclear. Soon, a masked man went to the window and closed the blinds. Soon, Luka was sure he knew that back.  
  
"Uh, Abby? Do you know why Carter couldn't make it in today..." he trailed off when he realized Abby was gone. He looked around. Suddenly, he heard shouting.  
  
"Dave! I am through with playing games! What the heck do you know about this and what on earth does Carter have to do with it!" Abby sounded angry. Luka followed the yelling to an exam room.  
  
"Uh, Abby?" Luka asked, interrupting the fight. He stifled a laugh at what he saw before him. Dave was shoved against the wall and Abby had her hand in a fist, threateningly.  
  
"Hey! Don't laugh! She's stronger than she looks!" Dave protested.  
  
"Anyway," Luka said, smiling, "Do you know why Carter couldn't make it in today? He didn't give Weaver a reason, did he?"  
  
"No, I don't know why and I don't know if he gave her a reason or not... Why?" Abby asked.  
  
"Well, I was just watching the news, and I *swear* I saw Carter in that building..."  
  
"WHAT?!" Abby took her hand away from Dave's throat. Dave relaxed and rubbed it. But soon, when she got over the shock, she turned back to Dave who stiffened again.  
  
"Why is he in that school?" she demanded.  
  
"Uh, gee, well, don't I feel guilty..." Dave rubbed the back of his neck, "Um, I have a friend, she's the principal and she's pretty mad at me right now, so I offered to substitute..." Abby looked at, Dave, disbelieving, "Yeah, yeah, I know, don't seem like the kid loving type, but a promise is a promise. So she asked me to sub today for eighth grade Science... It's a Junior High, you remember? So I said yes, but then Weaver said 'be here, or die,' and so I had to cancel. But Carter gracefully offered to take my place. So... I let him," Dave finished.  
  
"Carter's subbing for eighth grade Science?" Luka and Abby said together.  
  
"Uh, yeah... But now, I feel bad, what with that new hostage situation and all..."   
  
"What's all this screaming about?" Kerry asked when she came in. Abby turned away from Dave, much to his relief, and to Kerry.  
  
"Carter," Abby answered, "He's stuck in a school that's been taken over by terrorists," Abby turned back to Dave, "So... How did it all start?" Dave took a deep breath and began...  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 6:30 AM That Morning *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Yeah... Sure... Hey, I promised, didn't I? And a promise is a promise... What do you mean I break my promises?" Dave stared at the receiver, "Look, Jenna, I told you, I'll be there! Yeah, I promise! Wild horses couldn't drive me away! OK, bye!" Dave hung up. As soon as his fingers let go of the phone, it rang again. He picked it up.  
  
"Jenna?" he asked.  
  
"No, It's Dr. Weaver,"  
  
"Hey, chief," he said, dully.  
  
"Malucci, we need you in here today. We are really busy and we need all the help we can get."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Malucci, I don't care if you made prior plans that you think are more important, be here!" and with that, she hung up. Dave hung up with a sigh and it rang again.  
  
"Look, Weaver, I-"  
  
"Weaver? It's Carter, Dave!" came an amused voice on the other end.  
  
"Carter? Did Weaver catch you too?" Dave asked.  
  
"What? No..." Carter sounded confused.  
  
"You mean you don't have to go in today?"  
  
"No, I have the day off."  
  
"What? I had the day off, but they said they were shorthanded! She really likes to pick on me, doesn't she?"  
  
"Guess so."  
  
"Look, Carter, if you're not doing anything today, I was thinking that maybe you could do me a favor," Dave asked.  
  
"Depends. What do you want?"  
  
"Well, I promised my ex-girlfriend that I'd substitute a science class for her today, but Weaver called and... Well, she won't let me go to teach some kids biology! So, I was wondering... Could you do it? If I cancel on Jenna, she'll be madder than she already is," Dave informed Carter.  
  
"Uh, yeah, I guess... Why not?"  
  
"Thanks, Carter!" Dave smiled and gave him the address of the school and hung up.  
  
"Perfect!" he sighed, "This is going to be a great day!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Now *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Obviously, I was wrong!" Dave finished, "Today has not been a good day for me at all!"  
  
"Yeah..." Abby sighed.  
  
"Dave... You said Carter offered to take your place..." Kerry said, suspiciously.  
  
"Yeah, your point?"  
  
"From your story, it sounds as if you proposed the idea."  
  
"Oh, that's not important right now!" Dave looked around, trying to change the subject.  
  
"But... Why did these people take over a school?" Abby asked to Dave's relief.  
  
"Who knows? That's something you'll have to ask Carter," Dave shrugged.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 8:00 AM That Morning *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Carter walked into the Junior High and saw a smiling young woman with wavy brown hair.  
  
"Can I help you?" she asked.  
  
"Um, yeah, I'm here for Dr. Dave Malucci..."  
  
"Oh God, don't tell me. Family emergency?" the woman's smile faded and there was an exasperated look in her eyes.  
  
"Actually, no, the chief of staff called him in. It's a life or death situation with her. So I'm filling in for him. I'm Dr. Carter," Carter extended his hand. The woman shook it.  
  
"Jenna Morgan. Principal. Your class is on the third floor, Dr. Carter," she smiled a weak smile. Carter saw that she was depressed. She looked frail and had a wan complexion. Carter had a feeling she wasn't doing to well.  
  
"Thanks," he said, and climbed his room to his science class.  
  
When he entered the room, he found half of his homeroom class already sitting there, expectantly waiting for the bell to ring signifying their first class. That's what they did all day. Wait for the bell to ring, wait for the bell to ring again and then go home. It's what they did everyday. But little did they know that today was different. It was different because today, one sixteen-year-old and three eighteen-year-olds were coming in to the school to give speeches. But they weren't just planning on giving speeches. Oh no, they were planning on doing a whole lot more. Most of these teens had problems growing up and they blamed it on the school. And so, they were planning to teach the school a lesson. Starting with the Junior High. The bell rang and the children left. Four minutes later, Carter's next class started.  
  
"Hello, people!" he said when the kids came in.  
  
"Who are you? And where's Ms. Stewart?" a boy inquired.  
  
"Who do you think I am?" Carter replied.  
  
"How are we supposed to know?" the same boy asked, "You're a sub!"  
  
"That's right, I'm a sub!" answered Carter, "And I am going to teach you science today... Yes?" he asked, for one girl had her hand raised.  
  
"What do you know about science?" she asked, "A lot of our subs don't know anything about science. They just hand out worksheets and tell us to do them. It's what they do all the time. So, do you know anything about science or is that what you're going to do? Because if you are going to do that, I just want to tell you, it's not very educational," Carter laughed at the girl's comment. She was right, it wasn't very educational because he was just handing out worksheets without even knowing if they covered and understood the material. So he sat down comfortably in his chair and said,  
  
"I happen to know a lot about science."  
  
"You do?" the same girl asked, "Why? How?" Carter wanted to find out about these students, be a good teacher.  
  
"What's your name?" he questioned her.  
  
"Me?" the girl indicated herself, "I'm Claire. Why?"  
  
"Well, Claire, I am John Carter. And, I am a doctor. A medical doctor."  
  
"You're a doctor?" asked one boy, disbelieving, "How'd a dope like you become a doctor?"  
  
"Yes, I am a doctor, and I'm smarter than you think. What's your name?" Carter asked.  
  
"Why do you want to know what my name is?" asked the kid.  
  
"Oh don't listen to him, that's just Mitch! He's annoying. He gives all substitutes a hard time!" Claire informed Carter.  
  
"I can see that!"  
  
"I don't give them a hard time, I just give them what they deserve!"  
  
"Yeah, you know what, Mitch? You're right! You don't give substitutes a hard time, you give *all* teachers a hard time!" Claire said, "So just ignore him!"  
  
"Thanks for the advice, Claire," Carter smiled, "I repeat, yes I am a doctor. I work down at the Cook County General Hospital in the ER. You have to know a lot about science to work there."  
  
"You do work there?" asked another girl. Carter turned to look at her. She was African-American and looked very stylish.  
  
"For the third time, yes, I do work there as a doctor. And you are?" Carter inquired.  
  
"Oh, me? My name's Angela. I'm Claire's friend."  
  
"Thank you, Angela."  
  
"Hey, did you ever see anyone die?" asked one boy. Carter turned to him.  
  
"Your name?"  
  
"I'm Alex. Well? Did you?" he pressed. Carter laughed. This was an interesting group of students.  
  
"I see many people die, why?"  
  
"Cool!" Alex said, "That's awesome!"  
  
"No, it's not cool, Alex. Seeing people die is a very not nice experience," the next sentence, he muttered under his breath, "Especially if you know the person."  
  
"Excuse me?" Claire asked, "What was that last part, Dr. Carter?"  
  
"Uh, nothing, Claire."  
  
"He said: 'Especially if you know the person,'" Angela smirked.  
  
"There's Angela and her beautiful sense of hearing!" Claire declared, "What do you mean?"  
  
"Uh, well..." He'd seen many people die, but there was one death that made a large impact on his life, "Nothing, really, I don't mean anything."  
  
"Did you ever see anyone you know die?" Claire pressed on. Interesting group of kids, but also very nosey. Carter hesitated.  
  
"No."  
  
"You're lying," Angela said. Carter turned again to the girl.  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"Oh she knows *everything!*" Claire said, bored, "She's like, a mind reader! She has great hearing, great eyesight... She's perfect! And excellent taste in fashion!"  
  
"Says who?" Mitch demanded.  
  
"Says everyone!" Claire told him. Carter turned to Angela.  
  
"I see a lot of things, everyday Angela, you wouldn't believe me," Carter whispered.  
  
"I saw a car accident with people bleeding!" one boy declared.  
  
"So? I saw a tumbled building after an earthquake! My older sister was inside! She made it out, but she was hurt bad!" another boy cried. All over, people began calling out accidents they'd seen, happy for the attention. Carter smiled. Maybe now was time to share his story.  
  
"I saw a very good friend of mine murdered," he sighed. This silenced the room, for no one had said anything like this. For once, Claire wasn't nosey. In fact, Carter understood, she looked as if she could sympathize with his pain. Then, he realized that she hadn't said anything during the exchange of bloody stories. Her eyes glistened. Carter realized she was on the verge of tears. She quickly changed the subject, her voice shaking.  
  
"So, are you going to teach us science or tell us your adventures at Cook County?" she smiled, wanly. But it was now Alex's turn to be nosey.  
  
"So, how did it happen, Carter? Was he shot, strangled, mutilated?" the kid didn't have an ounce of sympathy.  
  
"I don't think he wants to talk about it..." Claire started.  
"Sure he does! He wouldn't have told us if he didn't want to talk about it!"  
  
"Maybe later," Carter said, "Now, Claire's right, I have a science class to teach!" he looked over the desk for a lesson plan. Suddenly, the doors burst open and two men with black masks entered carrying guns.  
  
"All right, everyone on the floor, you, too, Mr. Teacher!" they screamed. For a split second, all the kids did was stare.  
  
"You better do what they say, kids," Carter said, slowly getting to the floor himself. "Or one of your stories could happen to you."  
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OK, OK, I know this is funky with all the time changes and all, but just work with me! And please, review, I love reviews! Reviews are COOL!  



	2. The Nameless Chapter

One of the masked men said, "So, kids, you like Mars Bars? Or Snickers, whichever you prefer!"  
  
"We like neither!" Claire spat, bravely, from her spot on the floor, "We've seen the movies, we know what you're doing! That chocolate is drugged!"  
  
"Do you also watch the news?" the man asked, "The Columbine High School shooting?" Claire was silent. Carter gathered this was the one in charge. The terrorist stood up and called to his accomplice.  
  
"Tee! Tell Dee to bring in the others!" he said, "This is a nice place to keep them all!" the one he called to went out the door and returned, followed by two other terrorists. After them, Carter noticed three teachers following and twenty students.  
  
"These are the students we have selected. Eenie Meenie Miney Moe!" said the man in charge and pointed at Claire, "You, come here!" Claire hesitated, then stood up and cooperated. The man's finger scanned the room, silently selecting students.  
  
"You... You... You... You," he said, until he had selected five students. Angela, Alex, Mitch, Claire, and another girl Claire informed Carter was Kristen.  
  
"The rest of you, can go!" the man said. And so they were left with twenty-five students and three teachers. Carter dared to stand up. The masked man's head turned swiftly and instinctively at Carter's movement. He pointed his gun at Carter.  
  
"Name?" he demanded.  
  
"Dr. Carter. You?" Carter asked.  
  
"None of your business!" the man shouted.  
  
"If we're going to be here with you for a while, don't you think we should call you something other than 'terrorist number one?'"  
  
"You know me only as Jay. He's Dee, he's Tee, and she's Em."  
  
"Oh, so you must be members of the alphabet team?" Carter couldn't resist. Jay looked angered by his comment.  
  
"We are known to you only by these letters, nothing more," Jay tried to state calmly.  
  
"Oh, then I guess you can call me C. For Carter?" as swift as a bird of prey going in for its kill, Jay's gun was now right against Carter's temple.  
  
"You think this is a joke? That it's funny?"  
  
"Jay..." the woman, Em said.  
  
"Shut up, Em! I'll kill this one now and put him out of his misery!" but Em laid a hand on Jay's shoulder.  
  
"We need as many of them alive as we can get," Em said, "Including teachers. They don't just want the students out, they want the teachers alive, too."  
  
"But he's not a teacher!" one boy blurted out. His face went red when Jay and Em turned to look at him, "Well, it's true! He's not! I've never seen him before anyway."  
  
"He's not a regular teacher, it's true. He's a substitute. And I am going to kill his friend when we get out of here for setting him up like this!" a female's voice proclaimed. Carter turned and realized that the woman was Jenna Morgan, the principal, looking paler than ever.  
  
"He's a substitute, you say?" Jay asked. Jenna nodded, slowly, "It makes no difference. As this lovely young lady has told me," he patted Claire on the head who flinched at his touch, "You have all seen the movies, correct?" there was no answer, "Well, assuming you have, let me tell you, they don't always get it right. In real hostage situations, if things don't go according to plan, the hostage taker starts killing off his victims. One. By. One," He grinned down at Claire, "At least that's what happens when *I* take over!" the man didn't sound too old. Only about seventeen. But he sounded like he knew what he was doing. And he sounded serious. Carter looked at his belt and something caught his eye. A tiny device that looked like a phone. Suddenly, an idea formed in Carter's mind.  
  
"Are you going to make demands or have you done it already?" he asked. Jay shot him a look.  
  
"I will make demands in my own time," Jay said.  
  
"But how will they know what's going on?" Carter asked, "Without any notice..."  
  
"They'll know. Trust me, a whole school of children and teachers evacuating a building, someone's going to want to know why. And you think they'll keep quiet?"  
  
"But if you call the police now-"  
  
"I know what I'm doing, damn it!" Jay shouted, "Dee, watch this one closely..." another masked and muscular man nodded. Jay sat on the teacher's desk.  
  
"Well, children, what have we learned today?" he asked, trying to sound like a teacher.  
  
"Never to trust high schoolers!" Angela shouted.  
  
"Good guess, young lady!" Jay said, "But that's the wrong answer," Carter could see the spark of excitement in his eye. He was enjoying this. Watching all these students cower in fear. What did these four teenagers have that Carter didn't? He knew. Masks. Intimidation. But worst of all, they had guns.  
  
Carter glanced at the window. They hadn't closed the blinds. He slowly edged over there, trying to avoid Dee's eyes, which were less watchful than Jay's who had eyes like a hawk. Dee was big for his age, bold, bulky and muscular. He glanced at Carter often and gave him menacing looks. He circled Carter occasionally like a shark. Or a vulture, waiting for it's prey to die. Carter glanced at the female captor, Em. She was slender, but she was firm and strong, not to be fooled be appearance. But she looked smart and almost kind. But Carter saw the hatred in her eyes, and the love for her leader at the same time. She was simply a falcon, searching for a mate. Carter glanced at the last terrorist, Tee. Small and quiet, he looked slightly younger than the others. He was a chick, looking to earn his keep. This was all new to him. He was in training, Carter could tell. The whole family. The falcon, wise and strong, the vulture, bold and hungry, the chick, young and eager, and the hawk, the leader of the group, watchful and brave. All four, birds of prey. Carter glanced out the window. He saw a field of students below. Already, a police vehicle had appeared. He gasped as he noticed someone else's presence right next to him.  
  
"This, Dr. Carter, is just the beginning," Jay said, expressionless. He was staring out the window.  
  
"What do you mean?" Carter turned to him  
  
"First one police car, then two, then four... Then maybe an army jeep, then more police rigs, then the television van and the radio cars. It's all how it works, you see. This is only the beginning..." without diverting his gaze, Jay replied.  
  
"Why don't you contact them now?" Carter asked. Jay hesitated, then,  
  
"I will, in time," he seemed less bitter than he had before. Almost as if he was considering Carter's advice, "Why are you so eager for me to talk to them?"  
  
"No reason," Carter lied. He wanted to know what that phone on Jay's belt was for. Jay turned to Carter.  
  
"You know what, Dr. Carter? It's really too bad that you're all brave and good."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, I like brave men. Tee, over there, is really brave. Em's brother, that boy is. Bravery brings out the best in people."  
  
"So why is that a bad thing in me?"  
  
"Well, I like brave, but the combination of bravery and stupidity is something I don't like. It means that you're brave at all the wrong times."  
  
"Are you saying I'm stupid?" Carter demanded.  
  
"Kind of. And you're working for the wrong side, too. I hate to tell you, but people like you die fast when I'm in charge," Carter couldn't believe it. A teenager intimidated him; a young boy frightened him, a boy years younger than he was!  
  
"Why am I so afraid of you?" Carter voiced. Jay leaned closer so only Carter could hear his next words.  
  
"Because I'm your worst nightmare," he whispered. And he took out the phone and began to speak.  
  
"Police? This is a direct, untapped line. It will stay that way..." he said.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Now *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Now, half the ER was busy watching the television, even Kerry was engrossed in the story. It had become so fascinating, but Romano finally brought Kerry back to life.  
  
"You aren't getting paid to watch TV when there are patients waiting to be seen!" he said.   
  
"But Dr. Romano-" Randi tried to say.  
  
"Not now! Come on, all, back to work!"  
  
"Robert, Carter is-" Kerry tried to explain why they were watching this.  
  
"I said back to work!" and they all scattered. All that was left was Dave, whose back was to the screen, too full of guilt to face it.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 11:30 AM That Morning *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
It was perfect. Just as Carter had planned, that phone was a direct line to the police. At first, he waited, biding his time, waiting for the right minute to strike, using the pick-pocketing techniques an old patient had showed him. He looked out side the window. The News van was now pulling up and he saw a bushy brown-haired woman running out with a microphone, a cameraman running out. Still, they had forgotten to close the blinds. Carter watched as Jay spoke to Claire.  
  
"Your brother was Charlie, wasn't he?" he asked. Claire looked past him at Carter, who was trying to tell her to keep him busy. She nodded, both to Jay, and to Carter.  
  
"I knew it," Jay's lips curled into a smile.  
  
"And you are?" Claire asked, pushing back her straight brown hair.  
  
"A friend..." Jay's smile widened. As Jay was distracted with Claire, Carter looked around. Em was watching Claire, too, like the falcon she was. Or an owl. Tee was guarding the door. Dee was smirking, menacingly at the kids. With all the others occupied, Carter made his move, snatching the phone like an expert pickpocket. He silently thanked the thief that had been brought into the ER. Mitch was looking up at Carter with distaste. He had seen him do it. Carter hesitated. Mitch was unpredictably and Carter knew Mitch didn't like him. But would he ruin it all by telling their captors that Carter had stolen their direct line to the police? Carter saw Angela looking at Mitch. She crawled closer to him and whispered something in his ear. Had she seen it, too? Who else had seen? Apparently, no one. But Alex, being as nosey as he was, saw Angela whispering and wanted to find out what it was all about. Angela motioned for him to go away. While everyone was still distracted, Carter figured now was a good time. He turned and pretended to be looking out the window. He lifted the phone, which seemed more like a walkie-talkie, to his mouth.  
  
"Police?" he whispered, "This is Dr. Carter. I... I am in the building. I was substituting for a science class this morning when the terrorists came."  
  
"Carter? How did you manage to get a line?" an officer demanded.  
  
"They don't know I'm in touch with you. Just keep it down," Carter told him.  
  
"Could you be our inside man? Tell us what's happening?"  
  
"I can do my best," Carter promised, "I'll signal you when I can't talk. I'm up by the window," there was a pause and then a reply.  
  
"Alright, we see you," Carter turned his back to the window. Jay turned his head. Carter stuffed the communicator into his pocket. Jay came over and closed the blinds.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Now *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Abby! Where are you going?" Luka's thick accent cut through the air.  
  
"To the school! I'm off, I have to see what's going on!"  
  
"I'm off at three!" Luka told her, "I might meet you there!" Abby smiled and left. She jumped into her car and fumbled with the keys. She realized her hands were shaking. She had to get over to that Junior High. When she did get there, she realized there was no where to park. There was a traffic jam on the street to the school. No cars were moving. Some drivers were out of their car to try and see what was going on, at the same time, listening to the situation on the radio. Abby swung out of her car and weaved her way through the jammed cars up to the school, just to find it was sealed off with police tape. As she tried to get past, an officer stopped her.  
  
"Excuse me ma'am, but where do you think you're going?" he asked.  
  
"My good friend is in there!" she half screamed.  
  
"And people's children are in there, ma'am! You are just going to have to wait out here for a while, for your own safety," Abby took a step back and then stopped, when she heard a familiar voice on the police radio.  
  
"Jay's noticed his communicator's gone. Right now, he suspects one of the kids. He's threatening to shoot one if he doesn't find it."  
  
"CARTER!" Abby screamed, again trying to get past the tape. The police officer held her back and another came to his aid.  
  
"You... Know... That... Man?" the officer said between struggles.  
  
"He's my friend! He's a doctor! I work with him, please!" she pleaded. The officer glanced at the man at the radio who hesitated, then nodded.  
  
"Let her in," he said, then into the radio, "Carter, we have a friend of yours here."  
  
"What?" Carter asked.  
  
"What's your name, miss?" the man asked.  
  
"A-Abby. Tell him it's Abby," The man smiled.  
  
"You can call me Frank," he offered her his hand and she shook it.  
  
"It's Abby, Carter."  
  
"Abby? What's she doing here?"  
  
"You're on the news!" Abby answered, "You think we'd just stand by and get back to work while you were being held hostage? Nuh uh, no way!"  
  
"Frank, what should I do? He's asking each kid one by one. He's going to shoot Claire if he doesn't find the communicator!"  
  
"Unnoticeably set it down and pretend to find it," Frank told him. There was silence. Carter left the thing on. That had been a mistake.  
  
"Jay!" they heard him call, "I found your walkie-talkie thing!"  
  
------  
  
Jay turned to Carter.  
  
"What?" he asked, Claire's arm in his grasp.  
  
"Your little communication thing. You must have set it on the teacher's desk and forgot it there." Jay eyed him suspiciously.  
  
"I don't forget things, Carter," he hissed. He walked over to Carter who stiffened. He snatched the phone from the desk and turned his back to Carter, beginning to walk away. But without warning, Jay turned suddenly and on both ends everyone heard the loud crack that split through the air followed by screams.  
  
"I don't leave my line open to the police at all times, Carter. I turn it off when not in use," he smiled, wickedly.  
  
  
To be continued  
  
  
Well? What do you think? Gimme your thoughts and review! 


	3. Nameless Chapter: Deep Space Nine

Chapter 3  
  
They were screaming. Mostly the mothers. One mother fainted, Abby saw, when she heard They kept saying things about their own children.  
  
"Angela! Oh my darling Angela! I hope she's all right!"  
  
"Alex! Not Alex, please let it not be Alex!" another mother cried. There was one father, holding a little boy, tightly in his arms. There was no mother.  
  
"Dad, is Claire OK?" the boy asked.  
  
"She's a smart girl, Claire, she'll be fine, Joey," the father smiled down at his son. Abby could see everyone so worried but she knew they needn't worry for their own child. For it wasn't a child that had been shot up there, oh no, Abby was sure of that. It had been a doctor. I doctor that was probably dead right now. She was dead silent. Her voice had failed her. She was shocked, she couldn't believe what reason told her was true.  
  
"CARTER!" she screamed when she got over the shock, tears in her eyes, "Carter!" she pushed Frank out of the way of the radio.  
  
"Carter! Can you hear me?" but there was silence on the other end. She kept screaming his name and sobbing.  
  
---------------------  
  
It all went pretty fast. First the shot, then the bullet. Then, he felt it hit his stomach and bury a tunnel through the flesh and sinew into his body. It was less painful than Carter though dying would be. Oh, there was pain. When the cold metal struck him, it burned. Like dry ice. But as he felt where the bullet had gone and saw his own blood seeping out or him, the pain lessened and he remembered. When had he had this dazed state of mind before? When had he felt as if everything was going in slow motion like in the movies? Everything looked so unreal and blurred. He had the sense that it was all just a dream. And that's what he hoped it was, too. When had this happened before? Why couldn't he remember? He couldn't think of anything but the pain, but the strange sensation of déjà vu was upon him and he couldn't place it. He fell to the floor, slowly, every passing second coming closer to death.  
  
---------------------  
  
"Hey everyone, Abby's on the news!" someone in the ER shouted.  
  
"Abby?" Luka's head poked out of an exam room, "What's she doing on the news?" he came out and soon again, the whole ER was staring at the screen.  
  
"Though all these mourning parents are worried for their children, one mother, who they let pass the police tape, is screaming hysterically for her child. Ma'am, why are you so worried for your son or daughter?"  
  
"I'm not worried for... My child... Go away!" Abby said. Luka saw she was crying and wondered why.  
  
"But you're so distraught! Isn't your child in there?"  
  
"I don't even have a child!" Abby screamed at the reporter, who looked quite shocked by her outburst.  
  
"But... Then, are you worried for the others?"  
  
"Ma'am, there was a gun shot just fired!" Abby said, "My friend was on the radio in contact with us saying the terrorist was threatening to shoot. The terrorist found him talking to us..." Abby couldn't continue.  
  
"Oh my!" the reporter said, "So your friend was the spy? What was his name?"  
  
"No comment!" Frank said, pushing his way in front of Abby, "Leave the woman alone!" and he turned his back to the camera, trying his best to comfort Abby. The reporter turned to face the camera again.  
  
"What a tragic loss! A substitute teacher who wasn't even supposed to be there. He put his own life in jeopardy to try and save the children. What a shame it didn't work, ladies and gentlemen, what a horrible shame!" Luka slowly turned off the TV. The reporter didn't sound to have an ounce of sympathy. Everyone was silent. Dave was shaking his head and retreated to the wall. He leaned against it, staring at the TV screen still, shaking his head. He slowly fell to the floor. Was Carter really dead?  
  
---------------------  
  
"Is Carter really dead?" some kids whispered. Claire was the one. She was the one who realized the danger he was in. She broke away from Jay's grasp and sprinted to the bleeding body.  
  
"Carter!" she cried, then turned to the terrorists, "Who do you think you are, hm? You'll be sorry! He really needs a doctor and he's the only one who is a doctor!"  
  
"Claire..." Jenna took her hand, trying to reassure her.  
  
"No, Miss Morgan! He's dying! He needs medical attention! Get a doctor in here! If you take good care of him, you can get more money for him! You have their respect! They know you're serious! If you save Carter, you can always threaten to kill him again! Have them bring in a doctor!" Claire pleaded. Jay's eyes were full of hatred.  
  
"Why should I let him live?"  
  
"I just told you why!" There were tears in Claire's eyes and no one understood why. Mitch stood up.  
  
"Why did you shoot him anyway?" Mitch asked, bravely.  
  
"He stole the line! He was playing spy!" Jay snarled.  
  
"No, he wasn't. I... I saw you drop it. I didn't know what it was so I put it on the teacher's desk. I must have turned it on. So if anyone, you should shoot me," Angela looked up at Mitch with awe. She knew all this was a lie. She knew that Carter had indeed stolen the communicator and that Mitch had seen it. But she didn't know or understand why Mitch, of all people, was confessing to a crime he didn't commit. For a minute, Jay drew his gun again and Mitch flinched, waiting for what was coming.  
  
"No," Em put her hand on the gun, "Jay, the girl's right. If we show some humanity, it will be better. Call the police. Tell them to send in a doctor. No one else. They will agree if it's to save a life," Claire looked at Em. There was the smallest ounce of compassion in her eyes, the smallest ounce of kindness when she looked at Jay. But when she turned back to the children, her eyes, once warm blue were now an icy blue, so full of coldness they were like the vast glacial deserts of Antarctica. Hard, like a falcon's eyes. Jay looked at Em, then at Mitch, then at Carter, then at his gun, then back to Em.  
  
"All right," he sighed, picking up the communicator.  
  
"Get a doctor up here now. No tricks, you hear? No snipers, no hidden weapons, no secret agents, no hidden microphones. If you do, I will just let this man die. And if any harm comes to any of us, one of these children will be shot. Em will meet you at the entrance."  
  
---------------------  
  
"Send me up," Abby pleaded Frank.  
  
"We can't. Would you be able to handle a gunshot wound on your own?" Frank asked.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Send me," someone interrupted. Abby spun around and saw Dave standing there, a solemn look on his face.  
  
"Dave?" Abby asked.  
  
"It's my fault he was in there in the first place," Dave said. Luka came running up behind him.  
  
"Weaver let me off a little early. What's happening?" Luka asked.  
  
"Dave.. Are you sure you want to do this? It will be very dangerous, I don't think they will let you come out..." Frank said.  
  
"I want to help Carter," Dave was stubborn, "I am a qualified doctor-"  
  
"Ask if two can go," Abby said, looking at Dave, "It's at least a two person job."  
  
"Wait, what's going on?" everyone had ignored Luka.  
  
"Abby, I hope you aren't volunteering to go with him, because-"  
  
"Not me, Dr. Kovac," Abby interrupted Frank, finally turning to the Croatian man.  
  
"Me?" Luka asked, "Go where? Do what? I'm confused!"  
  
"Dr. Kovac?" Frank looked Luka up and down.  
  
"No! No way! He's not coming! I've already gotten Carter into this, I don't want to-"  
  
"Dave, you know you need someone else!" Abby was half pleading Dave to let Luka come along.  
  
"Not Kovac!"  
  
"What about me? Abby, what is happening?" at last acknowledging Luka's questions, Abby answered him.  
  
"Luka, Carter's been shot. They've called for a doctor to go up. Dave wants to go already but we need someone else to go with him."  
  
"Hurry, you're running out of time..." Jay's voice taunted over the radio.  
  
"We are sending up three doctors," Frank said. Abby looked surprised.  
  
"Three?" she asked.  
  
"I can see how much you want to go, Abby, and three is better."  
  
"Three?" Jay asked the same thing, "No, no more than two!"  
  
"See, I can't go anyway!" Abby declared, "Luka and Dave!"  
  
"Fine, men, are you up to it?" Dave nodded, Luka still looked slightly confused.  
  
"Yes," Dave answered, noticing no move on Luka's part.  
  
"Good. You should probably go in alone. If they see an agent with you, they will feel threatened and may start shooting. Be very careful."  
  
"Wait, so we have to go in there and help Carter?" Luka was comprehending.  
  
"Yes," Dave told him. They exchanged looks, took in a deep breath, and headed for the Junior High together.  
  
---------------------  
  
Claire couldn't believe her eyes. First her mother, then her brother, now Carter was dying. She shook her head. She couldn't believe it. So many people in her life had died or left her. It just wasn't right. Was there really a God? Did he watch over Claire, did he really care? Did he care that two people she loved had been murdered? Did he care that one she probably could have grown to love was bleeding, dying, in her arms? Did anyone care? Or was Claire alone in the world. Suddenly, Em came in with two men.  
  
"I am Dr. Kovac," said one with black hair and a thick accent, "This is my colleague, Dr. Malucci. We're doctors, we're here to help."  
  
"Very well," said Jay, "There," he nodded to where Carter was on the floor, in Claire's arms.  
  
"Carter!" Dave gasped and ran over to him, "Carter, come on man, come on!" Claire let go. It was now time to let the doctors take over. She had let the doctors take over her mother, and yet, they had let her go, they had given up. Though Claire had clung to her hand until the very last breath of life was out of her. Her brother, when he was killed, she wouldn't let him go. Would the doctors let Carter die? She wouldn't let someone else leave her life, no matter how short a time they had been in it. Not now, not ever.  
  
"H-H-He's dying!" she stammered, "Help him!"  
  
"Don't worry, we will," Dave promised. Luka was now with Dave. They were both working on Carter, Dave trying to get him conscious.  
  
"Carter, come on, come on, man, come on! Work with us, here, wake up, come on!" Carter opened his eyes slightly.  
  
"Dave?" he choked. He turned his head, "Luka?"  
  
"Yes, Carter, it's us, don't worry. We're going to save you, you'll be fine!" Luka told him.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Don't worry about that now," Luka said.  
  
"The pain!" he groaned.  
  
"He can't be dying!" Claire shouted. There were tears in her eyes. Still, no one knew why she was so attached to a person she had only just met, but Angela knew, "No, no, no, no!" she curled herself into a ball and hid in the corner.  
  
"Shut up, girl!" Jay shouted, "Dee! Watch that one there!"  
  
"Yes," Dee grunted.  
  
"OK, Luka, exit wound?" Dave said, pushing everything aside and getting to work.  
  
---------------------  
  
"Coffee?" Abby woke with a start to sound of that voice. She knew that voice like she knew the whisper of the wind. Just faintly, she remembered. Her vision was blurred, but she recognized where she was. She was on the couch in the ER staff room. She saw a blond woman pouring some coffee, but couldn't make out who it was.  
  
"Just thought you'd like some. I mean, this shift must be really hard for you. Three good friends of yours all trapped in that school building up there... Tough!" the woman had her back to Abby. Abby squinted and noticed that the back of the woman's sleek white doctor's coat was bright red and she didn't know why. Then, she realized.  
  
"Are you bleeding or is that a patient's blood?" Abby asked her. The doctor turned to Abby, a warm smile on her face, holding the coffeepot in one hand and a mug in the other. Abby finally saw her face.  
  
"Oh, that," she looked over her shoulder at the large stain of red liquid, "It's nothing, don't worry," she turned back to Abby, "Just a couple small cuts I got."  
  
"But... That's a lot of blood! Are you sure they're just small cuts and nothing serious?" Abby asked. The woman sat down next to Abby, her face pale and sickly, but the warm smile still in place and took Abby's hand.  
  
"It's not important. I'm not important, Abby. A patient just got a little out of hand, it doesn't matter. I am unimportant. But you are important. You have people who love and care about you."  
  
"But you do too! Loads of people! Your family, Carter... Just loads!" Abby couldn't understand. The woman changed the subject.  
  
"Abby. I know that I don't know you very well, and you don't know me very well. But there is one thing I do know and that is that you are depressed. You have reasons, I know, but you should try to find a way to get over that depression."  
  
"I am not depressed!" Abby declared.  
  
"You are. You are worried for Carter and also for Dave and Luka. Your worried for the three of them. And you're sad. Depressed. But you have to be strong. Be brave. Be happy. I want you to be happy. Be strong, like them. Look outside," the woman nodded at the door. Abby eyed her, suspiciously and looked outside the room. Decorations were everywhere. Music was playing, loudly. Abby could tell they were slow today. Then, Kerry came in and told them to turn down the music. Abby went back in the staff room.  
  
"What's wrong out there?" Abby asked, "They seem pretty happy."  
  
"Sure, now," the woman said, "But in a few minutes, this place will be hectic. Look again. Do you see Dr. Carter anywhere?" Abby looked outside and looked around for Carter. The woman was right, Abby saw him nowhere.  
  
"So... Where is he?" Abby asked. The woman just smiled, mysteriously.  
  
"Do you really want to know?"  
  
---------------------  
  
Abby awoke with a start and looked around, hoping not to find herself in the presence of a ghost.  
  
"That dream was freaky!" she sighed. Then, she remembered where she was. The school, "But my life is worse!" she sighed and laid her head back down on her arms.  
  
"What did you dream about?" the voice and question startled her and she looked around. She saw the smiling face of Elizabeth Corday.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Abby asked, "When did you get here?"  
  
"About fifteen minutes ago. I am here for the same reason you are. We're slow back at the ER and my shift has ended anyway. So, what did you dream about?"  
  
"You don't want to know!" Abby said, "I can't believe I dreamed about it. I haven't even thought about it for a long while now..."  
  
"Abby, tell me," Elizabeth said, gently, squeezing Abby's hand, reassuringly.  
  
"Well... I dreamed about Valentine's Day. You know, when Carter and Lucy were stabbed? Only... Lucy was sitting with me, bleeding and pale, talking to me, telling me things... Advice, almost," Abby sighed, "But that has nothing to do with this."  
  
"Sometimes the best help comes from unexpected places," Elizabeth said.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Abby smiled for the first time in hours, "I have to be strong, like you." 


	4. The Chapter that had no name

A/N: The little bit in quotations at the end I sort of *borrowed* from a book called 'After the First Death' by Robert Cormier. I changed the name of the character, but other then that... Oh, and sorry this took so long.  
  
"He's coming to!" Dave told Luka. Carter blinked.  
"Déjà vu!" he said. Dave looked at Luka who was looking at Carter.  
"He's right," Luka said, "Something like this has happened before," comprehension dawned on Dave's face.  
"Lucy..." Dave said, sadly.  
"Lucy who?" Carte asked. Luka and Dave took one last look at Carter before he fell back unconscious.  
"Delirium," Luka voiced the answer to the unsaid question, "he'll be fine."  
"Are you sure? Because that's what they said about my mother!" Claire said.  
"Calm, down, everything will be fine!" Luka assured her.  
"You don't know that! You doctors don't know anything!" Claire was getting angry.  
"Keep quiet, girl!"  
"Lucy..." Alex stood up and tasted the word, "is that his friend that died?" Luka and Dave turned to him, shocked.  
"Shut up, Alex! Now's not the time!" Angela said, urgently, pulling him back down to the floor.  
"Kids are just too nosey!" Jay said, gruffly, lighting a cigarette. Dave glanced at Jay. There was something about those eyes that were familiar to Dave. And the voice, too. Jay pulled out the communicator.  
"Where's the money?" he asked, "And the copter?"  
"We are arranging it, sir," Frank's voice came through, "How is Carter?" Jay stared at the communicator.  
"I never told you who was shot..." Jay shot a look at Dave, Luka and Carter.  
"I told him!" Jay's eyes were diverted from Dave, Luka and Carter. Dave turned, eyes full of terror, to who spoke.  
"Jenna, no!" Dave cried. Jenna glanced at Dave.  
"Why does everyone have to be so god damned stupid?" Jay sighed, "Brave, but stupid. Bad combo!" he readied his gun.  
"Leave Miss Morgan alone!" Claire stood up, "Do you really want to shoot her? That will be another one down. One less hostage. 1000 dollars less. You don't want to lose that money, do you?"  
"This girl is smart," Luka whispered to Dave.  
"Yeah," Dave was still trying to place Jay. Then, he remembered.  
"Jason Malcolm!" Dave declared, standing up and pointing at him. Jay's head snapped away from Jenna and Claire.  
"What?" he asked. Dave ignored him and continued.  
"At age 17, he was brought in to the County General with bad marks and bruises all over his body."  
"How do you know that?" Jay asked.  
"I know those eyes. There is not one case or child abuse I forget. And your eyes chilled me to the bone."  
"You see, now, you're coming with me!" Jay said, "I'm sorry," Frank came on the communicator again.  
"Jay, we guessed the wounded person was Dr. John Carter, it wasn't-"  
"Shut up, old man, I know that Carter was playing spy for you!" Jay screamed into the communicator, "That's why I shot him. Now, get me the money and the helicopter fast or Dr. Carter here won't make it through the night!" Luka looked at Dave, sadly.  
"He's right," he said, "We may need to intubate. And surgery. How can we do a surgery in a school room?" Dave looked up at Jay, then at the communicator, only half listening.  
"What's the problem, *Jason?* Losing control of your hostages?"  
"Shut up!" Jay screamed.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. *Malcolm!* Sorry I saved you from your wounds last year!" Dave emphasized Jay's real name, loud enough for them to hear it on the other end.  
"Give us time, Jay, to gather the money," Frank said, pretending he hadn't heard Dave, "And we will send it with a chopper to the roof of the school," Jay nodded.  
"You have 4 hours."  
But the hours past.  
2:00  
3:00  
4:00  
4:30  
"Frankie..." Jay called in a singsong voice, "Your time is getting shorter!" Carter was awake, now, though in much pain. Luka and Dave had done all they could with the limited equipment they were aloud to bring. Jay looked around and his eyes rested on Claire.  
"Dee, grab the girl!" he commanded. Dee, the vulture that he was, listened to the hawk. But the lonely falcon intervened  
"No, Jay, she's done nothing wrong!" Em tried to reason with the leader.  
"So?" Jay shrugged, "She is a child. I told you, children would get hurt!"  
"But you promised to leave it until hurting a child was vital for-"  
"It is vital!" Jay explained, "We must show them that if they don't get the money to us by 5:00, then we will do something drastic. Must show we are serious!"  
"The doctor! The accented one! Or the principal! What about them?"  
"Those two?" Jay laughed, "If we kill the doctor, we will have none left and no one to keep Carter alive! If we kill the principal... that's no good. We must kill a child," Dave didn't like the way they were speaking. As if Dave's fate was already planed, already decided. It made him uneasy.  
"We may not have to shoot the girl!" Em explained.  
"You're right," Jay agreed, "But if we have to, then we do!"  
"So be it!" Claire spoke up, "If you want to kill me, go ahead! It will take me away from this horrible world that took my mother and my older brother!"  
"Ah, Charlie! Did they ever catch the 'bully' who ruffed him up that much?" Claire's eyes widened, for the first time realizing what had happened the school night her brother was killed.  
"YOU!" Claire screamed, "YOU-" and she continued, using every swearword she knew to describe him. She struggled against Dee to get free and try and tear Jay apart with her own two hands.  
"Whoa, girl, easy there!" Dave called over.  
"Was it you who took a shot at my mother, too?" Claire asked, "Did she see what you had done to her son? You bastard!" Claire spat at him. Jay just yawned and looked at his watch. He grinned.  
"Five past five!" he declared, "It's show time!" he raised his gun, Claire closed her eyes, whispering.  
"Was I brave, mother? Was I? I'm coming, mother..." BANG!! It silenced everything.  
  
"When Claire McAlester was eight years old, she almost choked to death. A chunk of meat caught in her throat. For one, terrible moment, she was stiff with terror, her throat jammed with the meat, unable to move, her breath cut off so swiftly and completely between inhale and exhale that she could not even gasp, but could only try to rise to her feet, eyes bulging, mouth frozen open. She could not move, she could not utter a sound, was paralyzed, silent, and thought: I am dying and nobody knows although they're here at the table with me, my mom, my dad, my two brothers. And then, at the moment when suffocation threatened, and the room began to grow dim and far away, the lodged meat somehow, miraculously, loosened. And she coughed and retched and the meat came up into her mouth, freeing her, unlocking her bones and muscles, allowing the air to rush into her lungs and she was instantly bathed in a cool perspiration that glistened on her skin. With the breath came a sense of reprieve, the sweet knowledge that she was not going to die after all, she was going to live. Life, the act of being alive and able to draw breath, was suddenly unbearably beautiful, like music within her. She was safe. Safe.  
But not this time.  
This time, everything had stopped the way a watch stops, and the pain was her body and her body was the pain and she knew exactly what happened and was going to happen. The gun had gone off. She was caught between inhale and exhale. *The pain... wow... breath-caught dying mommy and daddy I can't breathe and nobody to tell me if I was bra...*"  



	5. Just another chapter without a name

A/N: OK, I know very well that the chapters are getting shorter and that's because this is the climax and I am giving it to you in bits (I'm so evil!) The next chapter will be up really soon. (Don't I promise that for all of my fics?)  
  
"NO!" Carter screamed, hearing the shot and trying to get up.  
"Carter, relax!" Luka ordered. Dave got up and ran to the crumpled figure on the floor that was Claire McAlester. He turned her over on her back.  
"Come on, Claire, you'll be OK!" He said, desperately trying to revive her. When he realized he couldn't, he sighed, sadly, and looked at the clock on the wall, but he said nothing. There were tears streaming down Angela's cheeks.  
"No!" she sobbed, "No, this can't be happening! Claire was such a good kid! No, she has to be alive, no!"  
"Easy there, Angie, it's OK," Alex awkwardly patted Angela on the back. Mitch kept staring at Claire, disbelieving.  
"She's dead, she's dead, I can't believe she's dead..." he kept shaking his head.  
"We heard another gunshot, what's going on?" Frank asked.  
"You were late, that's what's going on," Jay explained, calmly.  
"Oh no..." Frank sighed. He was then heard whispering something to someone. There was a loud noise on the other end as someone yanked the radio away from Frank.  
"Listen, you little bastard! Who the hell did you kill now?"  
"Abby?" Carter asked, weakly, hearing her voice.  
"Whoa, ease up there, kitten!" Jay said.  
"No, I won't! Who, damn it, tell me?!"  
"A girl. No one important."  
"She was important, God damn it!" Luka finally burst out.  
"What... What was her name?" Abby asked, choking down a sob.  
"She was a McAlester. I seem to be the one bringing down that family line," Jay was grinning and Dave couldn't stand it. No one could, not even Em.  
"Jay! Give me that!" she pulled the communicator away from Jay, "I have had enough of this! You said that we would only hurt a child if it was necessary and now, one is lying dead at Dee's feet!"  
"Em, you have no idea what you are doing!" Jay growled, angrily.  
"Em, give it to him, please!" Tee begged.  
"No, little brother, I am not going to give it to him!"  
"Then give it to me," the chick was smart. He reached out his hand to his sister. Em hesitated, then handed it to him. Tee took the communicator and gave it to Jay.  
"Is the chopper here?"  
"On the roof."  
"Money?"  
"In the front seat."  
"Good," Jay grinned.  
"NO!" Em cried, realizing what was going on. She dived for the communicator, "My name is Melissa Daniels! I am giving myself up, I can't do this anymore!" the falcon was losing her strong composure and was doing something brave, but not that smart.  
"Em, shut up!" Jay yelled.  
"No, Jason!" she screamed and pulled out her gun, "I don't want to do this any more!"  
"Are you prepared to die for what you have done?" Jay demanded.  
"I am!" Em declared, pointing the gun to her own head, "I can't live with the knowledge that I am responsible for the death of a child! I can't live knowing that you will never love me! I can't live with all of this cruelty!"  
"I have bad news for you, babe. Life is cruel. And if you don't like it, then you're better off dead!"  
"Then maybe I am!"  
"Melissa, don't do it!" Tee begged. Melissa spoke into the communicator again.  
"Be kind to my brother," she said, both to the police and to the people in the classroom, "And take care of him. Good bye, Tim," she hugged her brother and pulled the trigger. She fell, almost in slow motion to the floor. Again, there was silence. No one spoke. One of the terrorists was dead. What could they say?  
"OK, Malucci, you're coming with me!" Jay finally broke the silence and pulled Dave to his feet.  
"But... Carter-"  
"Will unfortunately be fine," with Jay on one side, and Dee on the other, they hoisted Dave up and held him between them, "Come on, Tee!" Jay demanded. Tee was bending over his dead sister and looked up at Jay.  
"I'm staying here," he said, "I'm going to turn myself in. I swear, I have no idea who you are. I only came to protect my sister," normally, Jay had a cruel heart and would probably have killed Tee on the spot for this. But for some reason, he hesitated.  
"You're like a brother to me, Tim," he sighed, "Good bye. Everyone stay where you are! That means you too, Kovac! Carter, I don't think you can move!" he grinned, "Come on, Malucci!" he pulled Dave, aggressively up the stairs to the roof where, as Frank had said, a helicopter was waiting.  
  
"They're proceeding towards the helicopter," someone said, coming from a different radio.  
"OK," Frank replied, "Snipers in place?"  
"Targeting."  
"Targeting?" Abby said, "Isn't that dangerous?"  
"Don't worry, Abby, everything will be fine. I think."  
  
"Damn it, you're hurting me!" Dave said, as Dee's tight grip nearly broke his arm. Jay looked around.  
"Snipers, I knew it!" he smiled. As they climbed into the helicopter, there was a loud gunshot and someone fell to the ground, badly wounded. Behind them, stood Tim Daniels, mask off, pointing his gun at the remaining standing men.  



	6. Guess what? It doesn't have a name!

Abby screamed and stood up.  
  
"That's it, I am going up there!"  
  
"Lockhart, NO!" Frank tried to grab at her but Abby made a run for it.  
  
"Abby, come back!" Elizabeth screamed, almost running after her, but Frank held her back.  
  
"We're in enough trouble as it is without you getting involved," he told her.  
  
Abby sprinted into the building with the police behind her and was surprised to see no one at the door. Surely one of the terrorists should have been standing guard! She ran up to the third floor and was more surprised to find no one there either. She wasn't quite sure her next move was a good idea, but she had never been inside this school much.  
  
"Is anybody up here?" she yelled, hoping no terrorists would come running.  
  
"In here!" they all yelled. Abby ran to the classroom she heard the calls from and found three bodies on the floor.  
  
"Oh God..." she exclaimed. Two were dead, one was dying. She ran over to Carter.  
  
"We did the best we could. We have to get him out of here and to a hospital, otherwise, he won't make it," Luka explained.  
  
"Where's Dave?"  
  
"They took him with them to the roof," Luka told her. Abby couldn't believe it and her eyes began to water, "what is it?"  
  
"There... was another gunshot. I don't know who it hit," Luka sighed. Everyone seemed to be getting hurt by the same weapon.  
  
"It was the boy, the youngest one. Her brother," he motioned to the body of one of the female terrorist, "He left after the other two and Dave with his gun. I asked him what he was doing."  
  
"What was his reply?"  
  
"I believe his exact words were: 'Justice.' I didn't like the sound of that."  
  
"Neither do I," Abby agreed, "Get Carter to a hospital and bring these children out of here. I'm going to find Dave," Luka nodded and Abby left up to the roof.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Practically the only thing the ER staff needed was popcorn as they surrounded the television set. Even Romano had given up in trying to pull them away from it and decided to join them.  
  
"A brave, brave woman by the name of Abby Lockhart has rushed to the aid of her friends trapped in the building. We know that Dr. Carter, the spy, has been shot and, though not dead yet, is in a serious condition. Two other doctors, supposedly friends of Dr. Carter by the names of Dr. Dave Malucci and Dr. Luka Kovac, were aloud in to aid their colleague. There have been three other shots fired since the injuring of Dr. Carter, and we are not sure if the victims are dead or alive. We do know that one of the victims was a young eighth grade girl, shot by the leader because the police failed to pay the ransom on time. That is all we know for now. Oh look up there! Who's that up there on the roof?" the camera changed from the reporter, up to the roof of the school where one could plainly see a helicopter and four figures standing. The camera zoomed in and you could see one of the figures was female, one had a gun, and the other two of them were being held at gunpoint.  
  
"Oh my God!" Haleh exclaimed, "That isn't Malucci, is it?"  
  
"And that woman can't be Abby!" Mark shook his head.  
  
"Whoever they are, they're in serious trouble!" Romano said.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When she got there, Abby saw three men. Two standing near the chopper with their hands up, and another, holding a gun at them. Then, her eyes fell on another, a crumpled body at the two men's feet. One of the men kept looking down at the dying man at his feet, but then back up at the gun again.  
  
"Gimme the hostage!" Tee ordered. Dee shook his head, "Give him to me! Jason's dead! What are you going to do, huh Denis? Tell me, huh? You were nothing before Jason found you! A nobody! Jason made you who you are! He did the same to me. He taught me to lie, to cheat, to steal. Melissa and me were perfect! We were doing great together! Until he came and ripped that apart! Now, he's responsible for my sister's death. My sister! The only thing in the world that mattered to me! The only thing I kept close to my heart other then a gun! And now, he's dead! And you are left without him. A nobody like before! Now, give me the hostage!" a muscular man looked from Dave to Tee and then shook his head again, "I'll shoot! I swear, I'll shoot!"  
  
"Stop it!" Abby yelled. This diverted everyone's attention.  
  
"Abby?" Dave asked.  
  
"Who are you and how did you get up here?" Tee demanded, "Are you a cop?"  
  
"No, my name is Abby Lockhart, I work at Cook County General Hospital with that man. I demand you let him go!"  
  
"And why would *he* give *you* the hostage when he wouldn't give him to *me?*" Tee asked her, half-laughing. But no one else seemed to find the situation funny in the least. Dee looked from Tee, to Dave, to Abby and then to Tee again. He gave out a grunt and slowly moved towards Abby.  
  
"What are you doing?" Tee demanded, finger firmly on the trigger. Dee stopped moving. For the first time since Dave had known him, Dee actually spoke real words.  
  
"You're right, Jay's dead, what else is there to do?" Dee asked Tee. It was a ruff, harsh voice and it sounded like it wasn't used very often. Up until now, Dave assumed he couldn't speak. Tee's eyes narrowed.  
  
"You bastard!" Tee spat.  
  
"No, I think you have your identities crossed!" Dave retorted as Dee pushed him over to Abby. Now, it was Dee and Tee. Tee with the gun out, Dee unarmed. Suddenly, there was a shot fired. But it wasn't from Tee's barrel.  



	7. only chapter with a name: When the Cloud...

Bang! The shot was of a sniper's gun. Square between the eyes. There was only one of them left. Tee dropped the gun and Dee watched him fall to the ground. Abby ran over to the fallen terrorist.  
  
"He was dead before he hit the ground," she told the remaining militant. Dee just nodded. Up onto the roof burst five snipers and two ran over to Dee, handcuffing him, one over to Tee, one to Abby and another Dave.  
  
"Ma'am, we need to get you and the hostage downstairs," the man told Abby. She nodded and watched as two pushed Dee out in front of them and down the stairs, followed by Abby, and then Dave, and lastly, the body of Timothy Daniels, age 16.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Abby glanced at the man she had seen earlier with his son after the first gunshot. The boy was hugging his father, sobbing into his shoulder. The parent was on one knee, holding the child closely as tears stung his own eyes. To Abby's surprise, she felt them in her own eyes as well as she watched the grieving father and son. She walked over to him and noticed Dave had the same idea. The man looked up and straightened up, wiping his tears.  
  
"I'm Dr. Dave Malucci, sir. I was in the building with your daughter. I... I saw it happen," Dave sighed, reluctantly.  
  
"You did?" he asked. Dave nodded. Abby closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  
  
"It's a great tragedy, sir," she knew that was an understatement to him, but she didn't know what else to say. How had she intended to comfort the man when she didn't even know the lost daughter he was grieving for? Luckily, Dave was there and he knew.  
  
"She was a very brave student, Mr. McAlester, one of the bravest in there."  
  
"Really?" pride shown beyond the tears in Mr. McAlester's eyes. The boy didn't say anything. He just hugged his father, as if afraid he would leave him, too.  
  
"We are both very, very sorry for your loss," Abby told him. He looked up at her.  
  
"Thank you," he told her, "I can tell you mean it."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Carter yawned. He didn't like being cooped up in his own workplace. Someone knocked at the door.  
  
"Nurses don't knock," Carter was puzzled, "Most of them, anyway. Come in!" he called. A frail woman entered, her brown hair falling lightly on her shoulders.  
  
"Dr. Carter," she nodded.  
  
"Ms. Morgan," Carter remembered her.  
  
"I... I wanted to apologize, both on my behalf and Dave's for dragging you into this. You didn't have to go... Do you know why it never worked with Dave and I?" she asked him.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I didn't need him. He was never there when I needed him. And when he found out I was... Sick, he... He was there even less time when he should have been with me more. But he was just scared. He's a scared little kid, Dr. Carter, though he'll deny it when you tell him that."  
  
"Don't I know it!" Carter rolled his eyes. Carter knew that instead of sick, Jenna wanted to say something else. He had seen patients tell their family before. He knew Jenna was dying.  
  
"Tell Dave... I had to do something," Jenna told him, "And give him this," she handed him a letter. Carter nodded.  
  
"I will."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Carter never saw Jenna Morgan again. He gave Dave the note. Dave read it through and nodded.  
  
"I thought she'd do something like that," he whispered and dropped the note onto Carter's bed. When Dave left the room, Carter picked up the note.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Dave, I am going back to Idaho to live with my parents. I'm in my last few months, so I probably won't see you again. I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry it never worked between us and I'm sorry you could never find the time to be with me. Good bye, Dave," Carter sighed. Poor Dave. He looked like he had been expecting this, but he definitely didn't look happy about it. Was if possible that Dave, Dr. Dave Malucci, really cared about this woman? Carter laughed.  
  
"Yeah, right!" he sighed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this, Abby?" Luka asked her. Abby looked back at him and nodded, "OK. Do you want me to..."  
  
"No, Luka, you can stay here. I'll be fine," Abby told him in a whisper. Luka nodded. Abby stepped out of the car and entered the building.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Visitor to see you, Johnson," the officer said. Denis, alias Dee, stood up. He saw Abby and looked puzzled.  
  
"So, how are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Denis grunted.  
  
"I just thought you'd like to talk to someone."  
  
"Why would I want to talk to you?"  
  
"I don't know. The others are dead. I just thought..."  
  
"I know the others are dead!" Denis seemed angry, "I was there when each of them died! First Melissa, then Jason, then Tim! Poor Tim. He was a good kid. We all were. Until Jay found us. The thing that kept Tim going was his sister, Melissa. He loved her with all his heart. But then, because of Jason, she died. And Tim just couldn't forgive him. So he shot him."  
  
"He was only sixteen..." Abby shook her head sadly.  
  
"You tell me these things as if I don't know them! I know damn well how old he was, better than you! Who do you think you are, huh? Some sort of superhero? You didn't do this out of your own freewill. You did it out of pity. Well I don't need your pity! Why do you feel sorry for me, anyway? I almost killed your friends!"  
  
"But you made the right choice in the end," Abby told him, "And you didn't kill my friends. You didn't kill anyone. But you're right, you could have."  
  
"I assisted in a takeover of a school. I deserve this. I'm scum!"  
  
"You're not scum!" Abby declared, "Just because you made a mistake you think you're scum! Now, let me tell you something, I would agree with you if I didn't know that you are the one responsible for saving Dr. Malucci's life! You may be a prisoner, you may be a terrorist, you may even be a little annoying, but you are definitely not scum!"  
  
"You know, coming from you, that's the strangest thing I ever heard. I don't even know you! Or even your name!"  
  
"Abby," Abby told him, "My name is Abby Lockhart. Call me when you get out of here. If you need a friend..." Abby stood up, nodded, and left.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Abby sat in the passenger's seat of Luka's car.  
  
"So, how'd it go?"  
  
"I can't believe I just did that!" Abby put her head in her hands, "I said he wasn't scum!"  
  
"Maybe you meant it!"  
  
"That's just it, I *did* mean it! And I have no idea why! Ever since it happened, I lie in bed at night and I just think how messed up those people are! Anyone who could hurt a child... And yet, I denied he was scum to his face," Abby couldn't understand it. Luka tilted her head up for her to meet his eyes.  
  
"Do you know what, Abby?" Luka asked, "I love you."  
  
"What?" this caught Abby by surprise. Of course she loved him back, but he said it at such an awkward time.  
  
"You're so sweet. I don't know!" Luka shrugged.  
  
"C'mere!" Abby told him and she pulled him into a kiss.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was a cloudy day and it suited the mood. Everyone stood there, looking at the cold, black box. Everything was silent, even the wind seemed to stop and listen. The priest took his place.  
  
"We are gathered here today to mourn the passing of Claire Marie McAlester..." Carter stared at the ground. He had insisted on coming. He looked across from him and saw Luka with his arm around Abby. A few feet away stood Dave, quietly listening.  
  
"I don't think I've seen Dave ever that quiet," Carter thought to himself. He saw Claire's father, holding her little brother's hand. As the priest finished, Carter, among with others, walked closer to the coffin to pay their last respects. A young face cold and still. Mr. McAlester came, but the boy stayed away. A tear fell at the sight of his young daughter, even younger than Tim had been. He drew in a quivering breath and looked away. Where was a single white rose in Claire's coffin. Carter walked over to Mr. McAlester and his last child.  
  
"Mr. McAlester?" he asked. He nodded.  
  
"You can call me Nick," he told him.  
  
"Nick. I'm Dr. John Carter, I was the substitute when it all happened. She was a very sweet girl. I hear she'd lost her brother?" Carter knew it must be a sensitive subject, but he wanted to know.  
  
"Ye-Yes. He was beaten to death two years ago, when he was sixteen. Authorities say now, it was Jason Leary who did it. Funny."  
  
"What's funny?"  
  
"It's funny they find out that he did it two years later, after he killed my daughter as well. Her mother was also shot that same day when she went to pick up our son. Poor Charlie. Poor Miranda. This is my last born, Joey. Joey, say hi to the nice man," Nick told him.  
  
"Hello, Dr. Carter," Joey whispered. He was shy, Carter could see. Carter smiled, weakly.  
  
"Hi, Joey. I hope he has a brighter future," Carter said.  
  
"So do I. Maybe he'll become a doctor," Nick shrugged. Carter nodded.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. McAl- Nick. I really hope things turn out better for you and your son in the future."  
  
"Thank you Dr. Carter, your sympathies are much appreciated," Carter turned away and was about to leave when he turned back and gave Nick and Joey McAlester one last smile.  
  
"Hey, don't worry! When the storm passes, it's like a new, sunny day," Carter told them and went to his jeep. As he drove away, the gray clouds above him began to part.  



End file.
